Cement City

Blue Bars and Buildings

Please, let the signal be strong over here.

          I use my phone like a lantern

          Searching for someone to hold my hand

          In broad daylight.

There!

          I gain another blue bar

And there

You stand

A few steps above me

Flickering as the signal comes in and out--

          You're too afraid to step down, but

          Too hurt to ignore yourself.

I bound towards you

           Each step magnifying into the rooftop of a building

           Digital blue Lego blocks

And I shout:

"Don't you dare

          Think about it!"

Our connection had appeared and vanished over the years

Like a plane mistaken for a star

Though I like to believe

I'd defy the satellites

And forge another bond, anew.

I catch you just as you're about to fall.

The holograms shatter

And we're left on the ground

           Exactly where, in real life and time

           We've always lived.

"But it doesn't feel that way

           Does it?" I ask.

You shake your head, lips trembling

Palms against the cool ground in an effort to root yourself

Away from your own small black mirror

Cracked beyond repair.

            Our phones contain as much darkness

            As light, both that hurt and help the eyes.